Sources of the Holocaust

Description

The Holocaust was the defining trauma of the 20th century. How do we begin to understand the Nazi drive to murder millions of people, or the determination of concentration camp prisoners to survive? This new and improved edition of Sources of the Holocaust brings together over 90 original Holocaust documents and testimonies to put the reader into direct contact with the genocide's human participants. From the origins of Christian antisemitism and the creation of monstrous 'Others' to the immediate aftermath of these crimes against humanity and the rise of right-wing ideologies in the 21st century, this book is structured both chronologically and thematically in order to clearly explain the ideas that made the Holocaust possible, how people mounted resistance at the time, and the Holocaust's legacy today. On top of this unparalleled access to the voices of the Holocaust, Steve Hochstadt's authoritative and scholarly commentaries on each source ensures readers gain a comprehensive understanding of this terrible episode in human history. Shocking and compelling, this carefully curated collection of primary sources is the definitive account of Holocaust experiences and vital reading for all scholars of modern European history.

Steve Hochstadt is Professor Emeritus of History at Illinois College in Jacksonville, Illinois, USA. He is the author of Mobility and Modernity (1999), Shanghai Geschichten (2007) and Death and Love in the Holocaust (2022).

Sources of the Holocaust assembles a powerful record of the Holocaust's long incubation and Nazi-led implementation in the 1930s and 1940s. Supporting commentaries on the language which normalized discrimination and manifested murder, the defiant responses of its victim groups, and postwar societal resonances, further embed the Holocaust's centrality in European and global history. Highly recommended. * Simone Gigliotti, Senior Lecturer, Holocaust Studies, Royal Holloway, University of London, UK * Steve Hochstadt has produced a highly useful collection of Holocaust-related documents. The sources assembled here provide broad chronological, geographical, and thematic coverage of the subject. Each document is accompanied by a brief and insightful commentary. I recommend this volume for any college-level course on the Holocaust. * Alan E. Steinweis, Raul Hilberg Distinguished Professor of Holocaust Studies, University of Vermont, USA *